INDIANAPOLIS -- Defense, defense and now more defense. The Indianapolis Colts continued their massive defensive overall when they agreed to a deal with lineman Al Woods on Thursday. Woods had 18 tackles in 12 games with Tennessee last season.
Terms: Two years, $5 million
Grade D: Woods is about to join his fifth team in eight seasons in the NFL. He’s only started 19 of the 81 games he’s appeared in. Woods, who is a rotational player, has had more than 20 tackles in a season just twice. He could end up playing nose and defensive tackle in the 3-4 defensive scheme the Colts run. He is one of the older players that new general manager Chris Ballard has signed, as he turns 30 on March 25.
What it means: The Colts are continuing to add as many bodies as possible as they try to fix a defense that finished 30th in the NFL last season. The signing of Woods doesn’t take the Colts out of the running for defensive lineman Dontari Poe, who visited the team on March 12, or any other difference-making defensive lineman, because they’ll take them if they say they want to come to Indianapolis. If anything, the signing of Woods fills more of the role on the roster that Zach Kerr had. Kerr signed with Denver. And there’s also the up-in-the-air status of Art Jones, who has underperformed during his three seasons with the Colts, and David Parry, who has lingering legal issues following his arrest in Arizona last month.
What's the risk? This is a low-risk, high-reward situation for the Colts. They didn’t sign Woods with the expectation that he’ll immediately be a starter. They signed him with the belief that he’ll add to the competition for playing time along a defensive line where playing time is available.
